In our modern, digital world, age is often perceived as a barrier. Generations Uniting through Movement (GUM) is ready to smash through this barrier by bridging the generational gap through physical activity and gamification. The GUM App, born out of collaborative efforts in the GUM international partnership, promises to redefine how different generations approach physical activity and offers a way to unite both the younger and older active lifestyle enthusiasts. 

Considering that a key objective of the GUM project is to enhance the ability to coordinate and lead intergenerational physical and sports activities, alongside developing an e-learning course, ISCA and its six GUM project partners from Bulgaria, United Kingdom, France, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands collaborated in a brainstorming session that led to developing the GUM App – a user-friendly tool designed with two primary target groups in mind: vibrant youth and active seniors. 

The GUM App is a real game-changer and a digitised dimension to help generations move together and #sticktogether. At its core, the app is all about getting people moving and measuring the correlation between movement and overall wellbeing. By providing a library of suggested activities that can be co-created and implemented, the GUM App shows how younger and older participants can work together whilst creating and strengthening social bonds. 

While the GUM App is designed mainly for two target groups, here's the twist: it is not just for individual use. The tool is also designed for practitioners, trainers, and mentors facilitating intergenerational physical activities. Even though these facilitators will not use the app themselves, they will play a crucial role in empowering both target groups to make the most of the app’s features. 

When discussing challenges of the modern world, we can't overlook the importance of developing digital skills. The GUM App itself serves as a platform for delivering digital literacy training. Facilitators will assist the younger generation by delivering the proper training and promoting mutual support. 

Fun, fun, and more fun – how dull would development be without a touch of enjoyment?

Staying committed to regular exercise and monitoring your progress is definitely beneficial for people’s overall wellbeing. But what about throwing in a bit of competition? It can really spice things up, turning it into an exciting game! There are plenty of options: users can challenge their MiFriends to see who can maintain a streak of consistent activity for the longest consecutive days or try as many new activities as possible.

As a prototype made for the GUM project, the app is now being tested by the GUM project partners and their pilot activity participants. We're excited to see where this experiment will lead - stay tuned to find out.

Visit the GUM website to find out more https://www.generationsmove.org/gum-app 

The Generations Uniting through Movement (GUM) project is supported by the EU Erasmus+ programme and the partners are ISCA (lead coordinator), Youth Sport Trust (UK), Sports Union of Slovenia, BG Be Active (Bulgaria), Deporte Para La Educacion Y La Salud (DES) (Spain), Stichting Hanzehogeschool Groningen (Hanze) (the Netherlands) and Azur Sport Sante (France).